1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to computer network firewall systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to firewall-based redirection of browser links to external sandbox environments.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the uses of internet-based communications (e.g., e-mail, instant messaging, social network messaging, and web browsing) is the ability to send, receive, and open uniform resource locator (URL) links (i.e., “hyperlinks”) to external internet resources (e.g., websites). Sometimes, these links direct a browser of a user's device to benign web content, such as a news web page or an image. Other times, such links may direct the browser of the user's device to dangerous web content that may infect the user's device with viruses, malware, spyware, adware, tracking cookies, or other potentially harmful software. Sometimes, URL links are disguised using various methods to appear as benign URL links, but redirect the user's browser to dangerous web content.
In some cases, a user device directed to dangerous web content may receive and execute harmful software. This harmful software may then automatically spread itself or other harmful software to other computers in the user's network, or may grant a malicious party access to the user's computer or other computers in the user's network. This is a particularly dangerous problem in corporate environments, where infection of sensitive computer systems may result in leaks of trade secret information to competitors or to the public, leaks of sensitive emails and insider information, loss of technical research data, delayed product launches, unproductive workers, unhappy investors, and other issues. This is also a particularly dangerous problem in government environments, where infection of sensitive computer systems may result in leaks of sensitive or classified national security information (e.g., troop movements, top-secret projects, sensitive communications) to rival nations or terrorist organizations or to the public. Such leaks could cause international political problems, unnecessary loss of military lives or resources in compromised missions, loss of political research data, undermining the reliability of digital court evidence, endangerment of protected witnesses, demoralizing government workers, and other issues.
Typically, firewall systems accept incoming data, filter through the incoming data to identify and block potentially dangerous incoming data, and only allow transmission of data that is safe to transmit. Some firewalls also include policies that automatically perform antivirus scans of data that the firewall has deemed to be otherwise allowable, which may further be used to block dangerous data.
Despite offering some protection, typical firewalls do not always recognize and protect against entry of all viruses, malware, spyware, adware, tracking cookies, or other potentially harmful software onto a user's device. Malicious attackers and security specialists emulating malicious attacking techniques have developed and will continue to develop creative workarounds that allow malicious, potentially harmful software onto a user's device by taking advantage of loopholes and other weaknesses of a firewall.
There is, therefore, a need in the art for improved firewall systems.